A wet spot on the ceiling around a recessed light gets read as a fixture problem more often than it should. The can, the trim and the bulb sit at the lowest point of the water path, so the drip shows there. The water usually came from farther up, travelling along a rafter or down a seam in the sheathing before it reached the opening around the can. If you treat the light as the cause, you can replace the trim, reseal the can and still have a wet attic.
Why the fixture is the wrong place to start
Water runs along framing and follows the easiest path. A recessed housing is an opening in the ceiling with metal and wiring inside it, and it sits directly under the attic floor. If water reaches the top of the can, it can run down the outside of the housing and out through the trim. Insulation packed around the housing holds the water against the drywall, so the stain looks as if it dripped straight down, when the water may have crossed several feet of attic first.
That is why the stain on the ceiling is a poor map of the leak. The center of the stain is the lowest point of the wet area, and the wet area is where the water stopped, not where it started. A leak that enters over a valley or along a sidewall can show up at a light fixture several feet away, and the fixture is only the place where gravity finally delivered the water to a visible surface.
Turn the power off before you touch the fixture
Water near a live fixture is an electrical hazard, so the first step is to cut power at the breaker that feeds that light. Do not rely on the wall switch, because in many homes the switch interrupts only one side of the circuit. Once the breaker is off, check the fixture with a voltage tester if you have one. If you do not have a tester, or the wiring looks old, cloth-covered or heat-stained, call a licensed electrician before you open the housing.
Do not cut into the drywall around the can to look for water before the attic has been checked. An opening in the ceiling lets air and moisture into the cavity, and it can make a small wet area harder to read later. The attic is the place to look first, because it shows the water path without disturbing the finished surface below.
What to check in the attic first
Go into the attic above the light with a flashlight and have a helper outside watch the ceiling. Look at the top of the housing, the insulation around it, the rafter or truss it sits beside, and the roof decking directly above. Insulation that is darker and matted tells you water has been present for a while. Dark staining on the underside of the sheathing, with the wood still firm, tells you the water has come through before. Soft or dark wood at a sheathing seam suggests the leak is active or was active recently.
Then trace the wet path toward the peak. Start at the light and follow the nearest rafter upslope, looking for staining on the framing, the sheathing and any vent pipe, bath fan duct or chimney flashing you pass. Wet spots around a roof penetration are a common source. Do not stop at the first one you find, because a second entry point can sit above the first and feed both.
Photograph each step before you touch anything. Take a wide shot of the attic from the hatch, a close shot of the housing and the insulation, and a shot of the framing as you follow the path. Those photos are the record of what was visible on the day you looked, and they help whoever repairs the leak understand where the water went.
Why the light needs attention after the roof is fixed
Once the roof is repaired, the fixture still needs checking. Water that soaked insulation and drywall does not dry in a week. Wet insulation does less work than dry insulation, and it can hold moisture against the framing through a cold spell in January. Ask the roofer to check the attic under the repaired area after the next two or three rains, and to look at the housing for water tracks.
A recessed housing that stayed wet may also need replacing. Corrosion on the metal and a stained or swollen trim ring are signs that the can has taken water. Replacing the trim alone leaves the housing where it was, so an electrician or fixture installer should inspect the can before the ceiling is closed up or painted over.
What it costs
The cost of tracing this kind of leak depends on how much of the roof and attic has to be opened to reach the entry point. If the only wet spot is at the fixture, the job is small. If the roofer traces the water to a valley, a flashing or a penetration, the roof repair becomes the larger line, and the light is the smallest part of it.
Ask for the roof repair, the attic framing or sheathing replacement, and the electrical work to appear as separate lines in the written scope. That way you can see what each part of the repair covers and whether any of it was left out. Keys documents what it finds, including photographs and measurements of any wet framing or sheathing, and puts a written scope with photos and measurements in your hands before work starts. Missouri law (RSMo 407.725) forbids a roofing contractor from representing or negotiating a homeowner's insurance claim, and from saying anything about paying, waiving or covering a deductible. Keys attends as the contractor while you deal with your own insurer.
What to ask
Before you accept a repair that stops at the light, ask these questions and get the answers in writing.
- Did you trace the water to its entry point, and if so, where is it?
- Which framing, sheathing or insulation was wet, and will it be replaced or dried?
- Who checks the attic under the repaired area after the next rain?
- Will the recessed housing be inspected for corrosion, and who replaces it if it is damaged?
- Who does the electrical work, and is it listed on the written scope?
If the answer to the first question is that the light was the only place anyone looked, the leak has not been traced yet. A repair that stops at the fixture can make the ceiling look dry while the framing above it stays wet. Call (314) 220-2333 to have the attic and the roof above the light checked together, before the trim goes back on.